Ranking the 25 Best College Basketball Logos

In a sport with as many teams as Division I college basketball, it takes a great logo to set any one program apart from the pack. It’s even tougher to come up with a distinctive look that’s a better source of pride than of unintended laughs.

One program that’s met that challenge is the Florida Gators. Their classic logo takes full advantage of an intimidating mascot while still showing off the school’s orange-and-blue colors.

Read on for more on Florida’s reptilian success story and the rest of the 25 most memorable, most impressive logos in college hoops.

25. Eastern Kentucky

Image from sportslogos.net

Weirdly, logos featuring humans tend to be some of the least realistic ones of all. One exception to that trend is Eastern Kentucky, whose colonel provides ferocity without looking like a victim of demonic possession.

Unfortunately, like so many humans in these drawings, he does look like he’s been sprayed with silver paint for no good reason.

21. Cal State-Northridge

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The Matadors don’t have the most intimidating logo out there, but they do have one of the most inventive. The capital N that differentiates Cal State-Northridge from its sister campuses stands in for the Matador’s cape in a one-of-a-kind look.

Unfortunately, appropriate though the hat may be to this costume, it’s still a little too close to Mickey Mouse ears for comfort on a Southern California campus.

20. Iowa

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Bird logos are pretty much of a feather with each other, but Iowa features a distinctive version. The stylized hawk’s head makes the Hawkeye nickname stand out, and few other logos are half as recognizable in monochrome form.

It doesn’t hurt that Iowa’s black-and-gold color scheme is a good bit easier on the eyes than those of many less venerable programs.

18. Missouri

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A narrow winner over Milwaukee and Pacific for the title of “best oval feline logo,” Mizzou’s current look has some bite. The Tiger’s fangs are the most impressive element here, though some will prefer the lightning-bolt-esque stripes.

It’s a great improvement over the old black-and-gold M, but it would be nice to have some indication of which school’s logo it is.

17. UIC

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The Flames top the deserve a prize for the best use of color for their vibrant, memorable look. Contrasted with Liberty (which has gone to an odd-looking eagle for a logo despite sharing the Flames nickname), UIC really stands alone with its design.

16. San Diego State

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For those who prefer simplicity in their logos, it’s hard to beat San Diego State. The Aztecs convert the D in their initials into a bow-and-arrow (or, for the purists, an atlatl-and-dart) that evokes their nickname without a complicated drawing.

Fitting the "State" lettering into the middle serves as a nice workaround to get the full name represented without losing the compactness of the design.

15. Fairfield

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No team gets more out of a less impressive mascot than Fairfield. The Stags’ logo looks like an animal not to be messed with, remarkably so considering that the real-life model is an herbivore that falls firmly on the “prey” side of the ledger.

The motion blur is a good idea, too, though it’s probably a bit overdone.

14. Cincinnati

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Cincinnati isn’t the only school that could have pulled off this trick, but the Bearcats got there first. The school’s C initial combines with a Bearcat paw to create a simple but memorable (and singular) logo.

As with many simpler designs, the Bearcats’ logo benefits from having a straightforward red-and-black color scheme rather than trying to combine, say, orange and purple as another notable cat’s-paw logo is forced to do.

12. Eastern Washington

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Trying to blend a school’s initials into the drawing in a logo is a tricky business. Eastern Washington is the rare program that gets it right, leaving the letters legible without ruining the Eagle’s plumage.

The lettering also sets this look apart from the crowd of Hawks and Eagles that use similarly shaped logos, notably St. Joseph’s (which narrowly missed the cut for this list).

11. Charleston

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Charleston (aka College of Charleston) takes full advantage of the space its name occupies in this logo. The wide text banner provides a great perch for the beautifully drawn Cougar to peer over the top in search of lunch.

It’s also a plus that this Cougar, unlike many of its Division I relatives, gets to keep its natural fur color.

10. UConn

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The old Huskies logo would’ve made the list too, but UConn is debuting a new look for 2013-14. And, impressively, they’ve managed not to ruin a good thing, as the new Husky is both naturalistic and somewhat fiercer-looking than its predecessor.

The blue eyes would be easier to see if the dark parts of the fur weren’t blue themselves, but they’re still a nice addition.

5. Florida A&M

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If only Florida A&M didn’t have such awful colors, the Rattlers’ logo would really be something to see. Even in its painful orange-and-green palette, the snake in question is one of the most impressive art jobs in Division I.

Considering what an obscure program (and school) FAMU is, though, it’s especially odd that the school’s initials don’t appear anywhere in the logo.

4. Belmont

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A surprising number of teams manage to screw up bear logos—notably Maine’s weirdly-shaped version—but Belmont wins top marks. The Bruin here doesn’t just look like a bear, but like a bear that’s about to take out its aggression on some unfortunate foe.

Being able to fit the red tongue into the school color scheme is a nice bonus.

A surprising number of teams manage to screw up bear logos—notably Maine’s weirdly-shaped version—but Belmont wins top marks. The Bruin here doesn’t just look like a bear, but like a bear that’s about to take out its aggression on some unfortunate opponent.

Being able to fit the red tongue into the school color scheme is a nice bonus.

3. Prairie View A&M

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Playing in the tiny SWAC, Prairie View A&M’s Panthers are far from the best or most recognizable team with that nickname. They do, however, get the most impressively drawn Panther logo by a wide margin.

In particular, the wrinkled fur is a level of detail you’ll rarely see in this kind of insignia.

1. UAB

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While UAB’s nickname is the Blazers, there’s no mistaking what this team’s mascot is. It really ought to be easy to come up with a good logo when your starting point is a dragon, and UAB’s version shows how it’s done.

The school's color scheme, too, is a happy pairing with a green-scaled fire-breather.